DoD award to boost rare earth refining capacity in support of national defense priorities
ReElement's modular, multi-mineral refining platform stands as the only scalable U.S.-based solution economically separating and purifying both heavy and light rare earth elements
FISHERS, IN / ACCESS Newswire / September 9, 2025 / American Resources Corporation (NASDAQ:AREC) ("American Resources"), through its holding in ReElement Technologies Corporation ("ReElement"), a leading U.S. innovator in rare earth element (REE) and critical mineral refining, announced todayThe Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded $2 million to ReElement Technologies Corporation to address the challenges of sourcing allied raw material, increasing domestic critical mineral separation and purification capabilities, and establishing a reliable industrial base of rare earth minerals. This effort, funded through the DOD's Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (OASD(IBP))'s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program, supports White House and Secretary of Defense priorities in developing a critical minerals and rare earth industry in the United States by setting up a fully allied and domestic rare earth purification supply chain.
Mark Jensen, CEO of ReElement Technologies, said, "We are proud to work with the Department of Defense to deliver innovative refining solutions that strengthen and secure the midstream segment of our domestic supply chain. Our versatile refining platform is leading the industry in producing separated and purified critical minerals and rare earth elements that directly support the defense industrial base and our national security needs. We founded ReElement nearly a decade ago after recognizing that the United States had virtually no refining capabilities to process our concentrates. Today, ReElement Technologies is economically producing separated elements at 99.9% to 99.999% purity levels for both commercial and defense applications. We believe it is imperative that the U.S. have a sustainable midstream to support a comprehensive critical mineral supply chain. Our 42-acre refining campus in Marion, Indiana, has the capability to supply a majority - if not all - of the rare earth and critical minerals required by the defense industry through a cost-competitive, scalable platform powered by our patented technologies."
ReElement Technologies' innovative rare earth element (REE) separation process, utilizing patented and proprietary refining chromatography methods, offers a transformative solution to bolster the U.S. industrial base supply chain for REEs, aligning with presidential executive orders aimed at securing critical mineral independence. ReElement's chromatography method consistently achieves ultra-high purity (99.5%+) oxides like neodymium, dysprosium, and terbium, which are essential for metallization and magnet production. The process offers up to 100 times greater efficiency, 80% less waste, and a significantly smaller environmental footprint than traditional methods. By processing diverse feedstocks - including ores, recycled magnets, and manufacturing waste - at its scalable Marion, Indiana facility, ReElement supports the Department of Defense's 2027 mine-to-magnet goal and reduces reliance on Chinese-dominated supply chains. This cost-effective, eco-friendly approach strengthens domestic production capacity, enhances national security, and meets the growing REE demand in defense, electric vehicles, and renewable energy applications.
Key REEs - neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium - are used in advanced magnets that are critical components in both defense and commercial applications. REE are used in fighter jets, nuclear powered submarines, missiles, electric vehicles, autonomous systems, and satellites. This project will refine REEs with high purity and environmental efficiency, strengthening the domestic industrial base by reducing reliance on foreign processing.
ReElement's Technological Edge: LAD Chromatographic Separation and Purification
ReElement employs Ligand Assisted Displacement (LAD) chromatography, a breakthrough in rare earth separation and purification that delivers:
Aqueous Chemistry - Eliminates the need for toxic and hazardous organic solvents, making the process safer and more environmentally friendly.
Lower Capital Expenditures - A few chromatography units can replace hundreds or even thousands of mixer-settlers to achieve the same throughput and product requirements.
High Versatility - An intrinsic-parameter-based design and predictive simulation tools allow for rapid, adaptable refining across various feedstocks and production scales.
Modular and Scalable Capacity - Easily expands processing volumes in alignment with growing feedstock availability.
Localized Processing - Reduces the need for raw ore transportation across the globe, strengthening supply chain security and efficiency.
ReElement's refining platform - originally developed by Purdue University for pharmaceutical purification - has been reengineered to separate rare earths and critical minerals with exceptional efficiency, scalability, and purity. Their patented, programmable platform handles multiple feedstocks and minerals, enabling rapid modular deployment across locations and resource types. Unlike legacy solvent extraction methods, it uses far fewer chemicals, requires less space, and generates minimal waste - making it faster to permit and simpler to co-locate near feedstock or end-use customers. This breakthrough eliminates a major chokepoint in global critical mineral supply chains, which has been dominated by single-source processing, no longer tenable as the U.S. must forge critical mineral supply chain independence, both through processing in the US and in partnership with allies abroad.
About ReElement Technologies Corporation
ReElement Technologies Corporation, a portfolio company of American Resources Corporation (NASDAQ:AREC), is a leading provider of high-performance refining capacity for rare earth and critical battery elements. Its multi-mineral, multi-feedstock platform technology focuses on the refining of recycled material from rare earth permanent magnets and lithium-ion batteries, concentrated ores and brines, as well as coal-based waste streams and byproducts to create a cost effective and environmentally-safe, circular supply chain. ReElement has developed its innovative and scalable "Powered by ReElement" process which collaboratively utilizes its exclusively licensed intellectual property within its partners' material processing flow sheets to more efficiently support the global supply chain's growing demand for magnet and battery-grade products. For more information visit reelementtech.com or connect with the Company on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
About American Resources Corporation (NASDAQ:AREC)
American Resources Corporation is a leader in the critical mineral supply chain, developing innovative solutions both upstream and downstream of the refining process. The company and its affiliates focus on the extraction and processing of metallurgical carbon and iron ore, essential ingredients in steelmaking, as well as critical and rare earth minerals for the electrification market and recycled metals.
Leveraging its affiliation and former parent status of ReElement Technologies Corporation, a leading provider of high-performance refining capacity for rare earth and critical battery elements, American Resources is investing in and developing efficient upstream and downstream critical mineral operations. These operations include mining interests in conventional and unconventional sources, recycling, and manufacturing.
American Resources has established a nimble, low-cost business model centered on growth, which provides a significant opportunity to scale its portfolio of assets to meet the growing global infrastructure and electrification markets while also continuing to acquire operations and significantly reduce their legacy industry risks. Its streamlined and efficient operations are able to maximize margins while reducing costs. For more information visit americanresourcescorp.com or connect with the Company on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other important factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance, or achievements or industry results to differ materially from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond American Resources Corporation's control. The words "believes", "may", "will", "should", "would", "could", "continue", "seeks", "anticipates", "plans", "expects", "intends", "estimates", or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. Any forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this release. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. The Company cannot assure you that the projected results or events will be achieved.
Investor Contact:
JTC Team, LLC
Jenene Thomas
(908) 824 - 0775
arec@jtcir.com
Media Inquiries:
Marjorie Weisskohl
703-587-1532
mweisskohl@allseasonspr.com
Company Contact:
Mark LaVerghetta
317-855-9926 ext. 0
investor@americanresourcescorp.com
SOURCE: American Resources Corporation
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/u.s.-department-of-defense-to-increase-domestic-rare-earth-elements-supply-chain-1070484
